JULIA
by Yukiru-4-eva
Summary: Sydney Bristow is taken by the Covenant, Vaughn is devistated. When Sydney wants to contact the CIA for help, she goes to someone else
1. Chapter 1

**JULIA**

_Prologue  
_

_(Sydney POV)_

It has been twelve months, and I can still see the way she looked at me when I shot her. You never get over things like that, shooting your best friend, but then she wasn't my best friend, was she. Things like that stay forever trapped in your memory. On that fateful night, one year ago, my life changed forever. The covenant may have taken my life away, but I will get it back again, no matter how long it takes.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 1  
_

It was the first day of spring and the birds outside were singing, but in the cold dark cell that held Sydney Bristow, there was no sound except for her cries. She had been in that cell for ten months straight, and had only been let out for breaking down and brainwashing. Her life had been smashed into thousands of tiny pieces, and the only person who could put it back together, thought she was dead.

The door of her cell opened slowly and with the small squeak that she had grown accustomed to over the past year. A familiar figure stood in the doorway, framed by the bright light that in the past had only caused pain and suffering to her battered sole and weary body.

The same voice that she had heard everyday and night of the past year filled the cell once more, "Julia, are you ready to co-operate?" the same words that he had said every day for the past month rolled over her once again. Was she ready? Was she ready to live a lie?

Her answer was different today, though in the same quiet voice, the same emotion showing through. "Yes," there she had said it, she had finally sold her sole to the devil himself.

School, a place for learning, the dictionary describes it as the time for teaching, teaching it's self. But what you learn in school is the most important thing, but it may not be the thing you expect.

Today, the first day of spring, the day that Eric Weiss had been dreading for the past month, the day that all the memories would come flooding back in one big rush. It was only 8:45am and the realization had hit him like a ton of bricks, it had been one year since an angel had returned to the heavens and left a gaping hole were she had been. He had not been the one to find the mess and mayhem that night, but he had been the one to comfort the broken men that had once loved that angel. And now, he suspected, that he would have to pick up the pieces again.

"Hay dude, what's up?" yelled Eric with his best fake smile plastered on his face as he walked into the French room but what he saw caused the smile to slide from his face instantly.

There, in the middle of the classroom, sat a broken man. The same man that Erick had seen exactly one year ago, sitting in the ash and rubble of his angels' house. Hunched over, with his hands on his face, possibly concealing the tears gently rolling from his eyes.

Vaughn took his time looking up, he seemed to be enjoying the small state of ignorant bliss he was in. "one year," said Vaughn looking straight in front of him, by the way his eyes were so intensely focused on the wall, Eric could have sworn that he was not really seeing the wall at all.

"I know" Eric said as he went over to his friend and sat on the desk next to him, ready to give him a shoulder to cry on.

"She has been gone a year and I can still remember the way she smiled at me the last time I saw her, I can still smell the light sent of lavender that came from her hair as we kissed, she wont let me go, she wont let me move on," Vaughn sighed as he let his head drop slightly

"What do you mean, she is gone, we all know that, but how is she stopping you from moving on with your life, after all it is yours to live,"

"She comes to me, almost every night, sometimes she just lies there in the dark crying softly, sometimes she is in a room filled with equipment and screaming in pain, it's like she wants me to see her like that, like she wants me to suffer for not protecting her, for not being able to help her." He sighed as he got up and walked over to his desk and leaned on it, hanging his head in the process "I know that she is alive man, I know that she would not want me to go through this if there wasn't some way to help her"

"How do you know this?" Eric questioned, terrified of what the answer might be. What would he do if his friend gave him the answer he dreaded? And what if he didn't?

"She told me last night, she was in the dark and I could only see her face, she told me the words I have been wanting to hear for the longest time, she told me she loved me and that she wanted me to come and get her, she wanted me to save her," Vaughn was clearly struggling to keep himself calm, and Eric could see that it wasn't working. When Vaughn lost control of his emotions it wasn't a pretty site, no matter what the emotion was.

Being an agent for the CIA taught Eric many things, how to shoot a gun, how to withstand the strongest forms of torture, but one thing they never even think to teach you is how to deal with a friend like Vaughn, a friend that has been through the worst and still comes out on top. But when you least expect it they turn into something that you fear, something that you cant control and probably something that will never go away and that is what probably what scares you the most.

"Mike, you know that I would never suggest this if I thought there was another way but," Eric said hoping beyond hope that Vaughn wouldn't explode at his idea "I think you should go see Barnett, she could really help you get over this"

Just as Eric had feared Vaughn straightened up suddenly his head jerking towards Eric with such force that he was surprised that his neck didn't break, in one swift movement he had crossed to Eric and pulled him up off the desk by his tie, "I will not have some psycho shrink poking around in my brain, and as for getting over Sydney, I will never get over her, and I will never stop looking for her"

"I know that," choked out Eric, and Vaughn released him and started walking toward the door but as he reached for the doorknob Eric called out to him "but what about Lauren, she has a right to know what's going on in your head"

"Why?" Vaughn said still facing the door "just because she is my fiancé, just because she is in my home and in my life, she is not Sydney, and only Sydney would understand, Lauren doesn't need to know everything that's going on in my head, because I don't think I even know what's going on, and I think that I like it that way." He said as he wrenched open the door and strode off down the corridor.

Eric just stood there for what seemed like hours after Vaughn left, but he knew that his friend had left this place a long time ago.


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 2  
_

Home. A home is supposed to be something close to your heart. But when you give up your heart are you supposed to give up your home. Well in Sydney Bristow's case she had to give them both up and more. But why should she be the one to give up everything she every cared about. Well that is the one thing she will find out no matter how long it takes.

"Julia?" said Simon Walker startling Sydney out of her reverie "everything ok?" he always tries to be kind and considerate but it always sounds as if he doesn't trust her. To tell the truth she didn't trust him ether, anyone introduced to her by the covenant couldn't be good news.

"Yes, just thinking,"

"About what"

"Home," 

"Well this is your new home," said Walker as he reached across her and opened the door that could possibly lead to her eventual destruction. To her this is the moment of truth, if she could step across that threshold and stay sane, and not look back to her life before, she could survive, she could become Julia Thorne.

As the door opened it squeaked slightly, causing Sydney to wince slightly at the memories that came flooding back at the small sound. Simon just smiled slightly at her, as he led her into the apartment. It didn't look like something Sydney would have chosen, but it was nice.

"We have a job in three days, I have left all documents in your bedroom, and I left a little welcoming present in the bathroom" said Simon as he walked to the door, leaving Sydney standing in the middle of the room.

"Ok, will you be picking me up?"

"Yes, I'll see you then," he said as he closed the door

Sydney didn't move from her spot until she was sure that he was gone. When she heard the elevator doors close she walked slowly over to the door and peered out, just to make sure that he was gone. Then she closed the door and locked it and leant against it, and a wave of sobs over took her. 

She didn't want this life, she didn't want to be Julia Thorne. She wanted to go back to her old life, with Vaughn, her father and Will. She wanted to be able to make jokes and play hockey, instead of destroying lives and families.

She wondered if there were cameras in her house, was the covenant watching her? She wouldn't put it past them. And she wouldn't put it past them for bugging her phone. Well there was one way she could contact the people she wanted to.

Sydney looked around the apartment, trying to look for the cameras or their power supply. As she went into her new bedroom, she found what she was looking for, a tiny power box under her bed. She flipped it off and walked back out to the living room and picked up the phone on the way. She cracked open the casing on the phone and checked for bugs. When she was finished she put the phone back together and hoped to god that Vaughn hadn't changed his number.

It was 3:30 in the morning by the time Vaughn had even thought of getting to sleep, he was sitting up in an armchair, drinking his night away, not wanting to go to sleep, afraid that when he woke up, everything would be the same.

"Sweetheart?" said Lauren coming out of the bedroom with her hair a mess and clutching his cell phone in her right hand. Vaughn didn't even realize it had been ringing. "There is some Italian woman on the phone wanting to talk to you"

Vaughn got up off his chair straightening up as he waked to Lauren who was still standing in the doorway with the phone held out in front of her, "thanks," he replied as he took his phone from her with a small smile

"You coming to bed soon?" she questioned putting her arm on his shoulder gently

"Yes, I'll just take this call, then I'll be right there," he said as he kissed her cheek and ran his hand down her arm.

"Ok" she said turning and walking back to the bed to wait for him

"Vaughn," Vaughn said as he put his phone up to his ear and turned to walk back to his spot on the couch.

"Mr. Vaughn, you don't know me but I have some information that I think you would be very interested in," said the woman on the other end of the line in a thick Italian accent which Vaughn found slightly hypnotic

"And what information would that be?" Vaughn said as he shook his head to stop himself from dropping off to sleep

"I trust that you still haven't found the people responsible for Sydney Bristow's' death, well I have information on the people responsible, for a price that is" she said with little emotion showing through in her voice, but the statement caught Vaughn's attention nonetheless.

"What's the price?" He asked trying to keep his voice level and under control

"Come to Rome, we will discuss that then, oh and one more thing, do not do this through the CIA, I do not wish for the CIA to know about this deal," She said with no change in her voice, but the tension over the connection seemed so thick you could cut it with a knife. 

"Were do you want to meet?" Vaughn said trying to keep his voice low so that Lauren wouldn't be able to hear the rest of the conversation

"I know this little café at the corner of Via Don Conson and Via Don Condonte, be there in 24 hours, I'll approach you," She said as she hung up the phone

Before the dial tone even reached his ear Vaughn had decided what he was going to do. He was going to Rome. The only problem was Lauren. What would she say about it? Would she be supportive of him going? Or should he just not tell her.

"Baby," Lauren said breaking Vaughn from his reverie, "I thought that you were coming to bed?"

Such sweet innocence, the idea of something so simple as going to bed with your fiancé, something Sydney will never have, something she could never have, not anymore. Why couldn't Sydney be the one standing in the doorway, why couldn't Sydney be the one he was marrying in three weeks? Because of life and now because of death.

"Lauren," said Vaughn getting up out of his chair an walking over to her, "I'm sorry but I have to go on a trip,"

"Were? Why? For how long?"

She was asking all the questions you would suspect someone like that to ask, sensible people, they ask all he questions that you wouldn't even think of until the last moment, and that moment is usually too late.

"I don't know" was all he could say, "I don't know, how long I'll be gone" well it was the truth, he didn't know how long it would take to get the information, if there was any information to begin with.

"Well, can I go with you?" she asked as she followed him into the bedroom, and over to the closet were he pulled out a suitcase and put it on the bed and started to pack everything he could find.

"Lauren, I'm sorry but, this is something I kneed to do myself" Vaughn said as he walked back out to the kitchen and made some coffee. When he had a flask with coffee he walked back to the bedroom to find Lauren sitting on his closed suitcase, with a pout on her face.

"You can't go if you don't have your stuff," she said in a sad voice, but the only thing it did was remind Vaughn of when Sydney had done it almost 13 months earlier.

It had been at her old house, he had to go on a trip to Argentina and that was the last thing she had wanted, she had totally unpacked his bag in a mater of seconds and had jumped into the case and done her little sad face, and had made him a hour late for his plane.

"Lauren, please, can you just let me do this," he sighed as he walked over to her and pushed her off the case and did up the lid. Why did Lauren want to stop him from going?

"Ok, just be careful" she said quietly as he went out the front door.

It wasn't until Sydney had hung up the phone that she realized what she had done, she didn't have any information on the covenant, she just contacted the man she loves, and she put him in danger, and if that wasn't bad enough she put the risk of being found out by the covenant out in the open.

There was only one thing that she could do. She would have to make up all the information on the covenant, and as for Vaughn, well, she would just have to do her best to protect him.

Sydney sighed as she sunk down into an armchair that was facing the window, as she looked out at the sun that was now setting over the tops of the buildings she got lost in the beauty of it. It was the first sunset she had seen for months, the pinks, reds and blues spilling into each other, making the most beautiful picture. And then there was the buildings themselves, bathed in the rosy glow as the sun shrank behind them, the towering houses that had probably held so many memories for so many years, concealing the beauty within.

The life in such a simple thing amazed her, even though she had seen sunsets before, this one seemed particularly beautiful. Maybe it looked like that because she had not seen one for so long, or maybe it was just because she had just heard her guardian angels voice and the sky wanted to show how she felt. Ether way, it made her smile, as she drifted of into a peaceful sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 3  
_

Vaughn pulled up at his apartment half an hour after he left Laurens' because the traffic was surprisingly bad for the time of night. As he exited his car the realization of what he was doing suddenly hit him like a ton of bricks, he was going to Rome to meet a total stranger for information on his dead girlfriend.

"What am I doing?" he asked himself as stood at his front door, he could answer his own question easily, he was being stupid and letting his feeling get in the way. But he knew that he had to do it anyway, because, if he didn't he would regret it for the rest of his life.

Vaughn sighed as he pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket and dialed Weiss's number knowing that he was the only person that he would want joining him in Rome.

"Wiess" answered a sleepy voice after the 10th ring

"Hay man," said Vaughn feeling guilty for having woken him, but he knew that if he wanted to meet the deadline he had to do this

"Dude, what are you calling me at... 4:30 in the morning" said wiess as he started to sound more awake, "what could be so important that it couldn't wait till people are actually awake"

"Will you come with me on a trip to Rome," blurted out Vaughn as he went inside and closed the door behind him

"Dude I don't mean to sound rude but my ideal holiday is not watching you and Lauren make out the hole time" wiess said sounding like he was falling asleep while he was talking

"Laurens not coming"

"Why?"

"Because I am meeting some one that said they have some information on Sydney's death and I need someone with sniper abilities" Vaughn said hoping that wiess wasn't going to question him too much

"Mike, remember what I said this morning?" questioned wiess, concerned for his friends well being

"I remember, and this might help my grieving," said Vaughn trying to convince himself and wiess

"Ok, when do we have to go?"

"Tonight."

Sydney awoke the next day to find sum streaming through the window she had left open the previous night, it was comforting to her after months of being kept in the dark. Sighing she slowly pushed herself up from her chair and rubbed her neck.

She had a lot to do today if she wanted everything to workout for the meet. Sydney looked down at herself and was startled to see how thin she had gotten over the past year, she would have to do something about that, but at the moment she had a lot of other things to do before this afternoon.

Sighing again she picked up a handbag she found on the table last night and flicked through it, there was a new state of the art mobile phone, credit cards and new Ids. After spending a couple of minuets finding out her new mobile number, she slung the handbag over her shoulder and walked briskly out the door and locked it behind her. Turning on her heel, she strode to the elevator and pressed the down button.

After Sydney returned from her shopping trip she dumped her bags on her bed and started to unpack all the designer bags and put all of the clothes in the closet. When she was finished she picked up one of the last two bags on the bed and pulled out a bottle of fake-tan and walked into the bathroom and applied a thick layer over her deathly white skin, when she exited the bathroom two hours later her skin was a medium brown colour and she was starting to feel human again.

Looking around her bedroom she found the last bag that she dumped on her bed, going over to it she pulled out a brand new laptop and portable printer and carried them out to the dining room table and plugged them in and started to type the information that she hoped would satisfy Vaughn's curiosity and will.

When she had finished typing the document it was 147pages long and it was 2 hours till the meet was scheduled to take place, sighing and loading the printer with paper she moved the mouse over to the print button and clicked.

Going over to the window she peered out at the busy street below just in time to see a car pull up to the curb and two men get out, men she knew, Michael Vaughn and Erick Wiess. "Shit" she said as she walked away from the window as Vaughn and Wiess entered the lobby "what the hell am I going to do now?"

(Meanwhile in the lobby)

"Man this place is great," said wiess enthusiastically as he walked up to the front desk with Vaughn trailing behind him apprehensively

"I don't know something seems a little off here," said Vaughn as they reached the counter a couple seconds after wiess

"Don't worry so much," said wiess as he turned to the girl behind the desk and gave her his best smile "hi, I'm Erick Wiess and I believe I have a reservation"

"Oh yes here we are, Erick Wiess, room 47, that's on the forth floor" said the girl behind the desk with a thick Italian accent and a small smile

"But I requested to be on the top floor" said Wiess as his smile faulted, surprised

"Yes, but someone has gained permanent residence to the apartment on the floor," she said her smile fading slightly as she said it

"Can you please tell me who that is?" asked wiess as he lent forward and placed his elbows on the desk in front of him

"No, we are compelled by the law not to do that sir" she said the smile completely gone from her face

"What if I showed you this," he said as he pulled his CIA badge out of his back pocket and put it on the desk in front of her

"Ok, well, the buyer chose to remain anonymous" she said as she started to type on the computer in front of her, "is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Yeh, can you please get me the key to that room?" he said as he put his ID back in his pocket and put a small smile back on his pace

"Of course sir" she said as she passed him two key cards over the desk and smiled at him "have a nice day"

"Thank you so much," he said as he turned to Vaughn and they started to make their way across the lobby to the elevator.

When they got to the elevator the girl behind the desk picked up the phone in front of her and presses the 5th speed dial number, and with in seconds the person on the other end picked up.

"Yes"

"Miss, there has been some men down here and they asked for your room key," she said a little apprehensively, as if she was afraid of the answer she would get

"And what did you do?"

"I gave it to them miss, they had CIA badges and I didn't want to go against them"

"Anything else?"

"Yes miss, they are getting into the elevator as we speak, they might be going up to your floor," she said hoping that she wouldn't be mad

"Thank you, oh and will you call me by my name?" the woman on the other end questioned

"Of cause miss Thorne" she said as she hung up. That went better than she had expected, at least she wasn't fired, this was turning out to be an interesting day.


End file.
